Hidden Treasure
by IvyBlooms
Summary: After the awfully traumatic experience with David, Ellie is still struggling to heal and learn to trust again. While stopped at a cabin, Joel discovers a little surprise that may just cheer up his baby girl.


Title: A Chest Full of Treasure

Rating: T

Relationship: Parental Joel/Ellie

Summary: After the awfully traumatic experience with David, Ellie is still struggling to heal and learn to trust again. While stopped at a cabin, Joel discovers a little surprise that may just cheer up his baby girl.

* * *

Joel had grown used to the uneasy silence that had grown between him and his traveling partner over the last few weeks. Neither knew what to say to the other and small talk was always unnecessarily awkward and leading nowhere. It was better to just not say anything.

But Joel missed the carefree chime of her voice, he missed the subtle dimples in her cheeks that appeared when she smiled, and he missed the way she would throw her arms around him and beg for stories of a time when kids could ride bikes in the streets of their neighborhoods or purchase the tasty and mysterious treat known as ice cream from a, sometimes, questionable looking truck. Her thirst for knowledge, he missed that too.

Looking at her now, all Joel saw was a little girl constantly on edge, eyes always darting around searching for threats, and hands which shook far too much.

He didn't know how to fix it though. He was no head doctor and he didn't have the slightest clue on how to begin the healing process. That made him feel even worse.

XXXX

"Do you think it's safe enough for us stop here?" Ellie asked, the panic just barely masked with a cough still evident, even to her. She scanned the surroundings of the abandoned cabin that Joel had discovered while they'd been walking.

The structure itself was still in pretty good condition, considering it hadn't been maintained in a few decades. There were a few broken windows and the front door had been rammed down, but Joel had already gone through and assured her that any squatters that had been using the cabin had long since cleared out.

"How long ago?" Ellie questioned as she spotted a dark rabbit dart across the snowy drifts of the woods. It sent chills down her spine, reminding her of that day.

Joel approached her slowly and placed a careful hand on her shoulder. Ellie couldn't help the tiny flinch she gave at the pressure of his hand pressing onto her skin. It wasn't his fault and she knew he was only trying to comfort her. Looking into his eyes though, Ellie could see that the involuntary movement had hurt him. He did well to hide it.

"There's dust and spider webs everywhere, including on the sleeping bags and supplies. I'm guessing whoever was living here, left in a hurry and a while ago." Joel cracked a small grin. "I found something I think you'll like in the attic though."

Ellie admitted that her interest was mildly peaked and she was briefly distracted from her worries as Joel lead her up the stairs of the cabin. The cabin itself was luxuriously furnished with velvety green curtains hung over the cracked windows, plush sofas and recliners surrounding a stone fireplace with a soft looking rug rolled across the floor. Many warm colored landscape oil paintings lined the walls, and golden sconces were fastened to the wall beside them. Ellie could not recall ever having seen or been in a place that was so decked out. She brushed her fingers against the dust coated mahogany end tables as she walked by, noting that even in their filthy condition, they were still incredibly beautiful. It reminded her of the times when she and Riley would reflect on dreamy fantasies; they would live together in a large mansion snuggled between the thick trees of a forest, far away from anyone who wanted to tell them what to do. They would have a dog named Muffin and an inground swimming pool around back, right next to their own military tank that they would drive through the rugged woods in search of exploration. Some people had all the luck.

As Joel lead the way, Ellie followed close behind listening as the wooden floors moaned loudly under their weight.

"So what is this thing that you found?" Ellie settled on asking.

Joel gave her a secretive grin that was easily hidden by the coarse hairs of his beard, but Ellie saw the subtle dimples in his cheeks. "It's a surprise. Now come on."

Ellie sighed and followed, passing by more elaborate paintings and fancy furnishings as they went. Finally, Joel stopped at the end of one of the many long and decorated hallways, a single and strange rope hung from the ceiling in front of them.

"You wanted to show me a string?" Ellie asked skeptically as she eyed the swaying rope. It didn't look particularly impressive, it was clearly worn and brittle, like someone hadn't touched it in years.

"Sort of." Joel drawled. Reaching up, Joel gave the rope a firm tug, and without warning, a patch in the ceiling burst open, releasing a set of stairs that nearly took Ellie's head off.

"Woah!" She yelled, "What the hell is this? Some kind of hidden room?" Ellie peered up into the black hole that the stairs now lead to.

Joel chuckled, a sound which brought a bit of warmth to Ellie chilled bones. "No, kid. It's the way up into the attic."

"Really?" Ellie stepped back. "You checked it out right?"

Joel nodded, his eyes flashed with sudden seriousness. "Every nook and cranny." He assured. "Nothing up there but a few dead rats."

While the idea of stepping around deceased rodents didn't exactly excite Ellie, that was a million times more comforting than the thought of what could have been waiting up there for them.

Joel ascended the steps first, reaching his long arm out behind him for Ellie to grasp onto. She took his hand and was lead into the darkness.

XXXX

Joel couldn't hide the bouncing excitement that he contained in his chest as he lead Ellie up the dusty and creaky old steps of the attic. This was the first spark of hope he'd had in weeks.

While scouting out the attic and digging around the moldy boxes, Joel had discovered a wooden chest which was slightly warped from water damage but otherwise unaffected by its harsh surroundings. Curious, and hoping that perhaps there was some useful supplies hidden within, Joel had cracked the chest open and peered inside.

"It's right over here." Joel assured as the two travelers cautiously stepped over junk which was strewn across the floor.

"This better be worth it, Joel." Ellie whined, "It stinks up here."

"That's the mold." He explained, "Don't worry, we'll be quick."

Quickening his pace, Joel brought Ellie to the chest he had found earlier. It was a medium sized chest with a golden latch and green paint which had clearly chipped away over the years. Reaching down, Joel flipped the latch and popped the top open.

"Woah," Ellie breathed, her eyes were wide with awe. "Are those?" She couldn't finish her sentence.

"Yup." Joel's grin broadened, "It's the entire series of that comic you were reading. And tons of other series too."

"Savage Starlight." Ellie fills in. "I've been dying to know what happens next!"

Not wasting another second, Ellie reached in and snatched up several volumes of the comic books and hugged them to her chest, doing her best not to crinkle them. Her smile warmed Joel's heart and he sighed. Words could not describe how elated he felt in that moment when her lips curled into that charming smile.

However, what happened next...he would never forget it.

Dropping the comics back into the chest, Ellie quickly spun around to face Joel and threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his broad chest. Joel could feel Ellie breath him in as she held onto him as if he were an anchor keeping her planted on the ground. If Joel hadn't spent so many years detached from his emotions and training himself to be at a distance from people, he swore that he would have shed tears in that moment.

Ellie's weak arms squeezed him as she whispered, "Thank you, Joel."

Fully encasing the young girl in his arms, Joel brought her even closer and pecked the top of her head, finally feeling at ease again. "You're welcome, baby girl."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hello there and thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot of Joel and Ellie. It's been a while since I wrote for The Last of Us and it was really enjoyable to get back into it and work with these two precious characters again. I'd love to hear some feedback, if you'd like to leave some, so please don't hesitate. Thank you again!


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